JIM MOORE | Not dealing Felix a risk worth taking

I wouldn't think so, not after the Mariners' ace blanked the hottest-hitting team, holding the Texas Rangers to three hits in a 7-0 victory Saturday night at Safeco Field. He struck out 12 batters, all swinging, including Josh Hamilton in all three of his plate appearances.

Then again, I didn't think anyone would want to trade Felix after he threw a complete-game 1-0 victory against the Red Sox on June 28. In that one, he limited the potent Red Sox to five hits while tying a career-high with 13 strikeouts.

But when I asked the host of "The Kevin Calabro Show" on 710 ESPN Seattle if he still wanted to trade Felix after that game, he said it was an even better time to deal the Mariners' best player.

Calabro felt that his value would never be higher, and why risk losing Hernandez to free agency when his contract runs out in 2014? Deal him now and get all kinds of pieces who can help the team when it's really ready to contend two or three years from now.

And deal him now to get some guys who can actually hit and hit for power and maybe even average .300.

I get it. Like every other Mariner fan, I'd like to see a lineup with more pop, even a little more pop, anything better than the punchless crew we're seeing now.

Plus I'd hate to be doing my Christmas shopping in December of 2014 and hear the news that Felix had signed a $300 million free-agent deal with the Yankees.

Why risk the chance of that happening? Why not look into deals involving Felix now?

I'm guessing that GM Jack Zduriencik is open to offers. If he gets the moon, he'll trade Felix. Anything short of that, he won't. If they get the moon, I'm in. If not, I'm not.

I'm wavering a little bit only because I'm concerned about Felix's arm. He's an old 26 if that's possible, in his seventh big-league season, having thrown 1,521 innings and who knows how many thousands of pitches. I don't want to see him go the way of Michael Pineda.

But still…

How can you trade an ace like Felix? In the first place, it's hard to find a No. 1 starter. Then when you find one, you have to keep him. He's a sure thing, a losing-streak stopper. He's also the key to winning playoff series once you get there.

So I would cling to Felix with every fingernail I have.

I'd continue to put up with the curious May swoons that he has every year. This year in a game at Cleveland, I watched from the Manchester Pub as Felix went only 3 2/3 innings, giving up 10 hits and six earned runs. At that point, there were serious questions about his loss of velocity.

But in his last six games, he is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA, averaging 9.3 strikeouts a start. He gave up one earned run in three of those games, zero in two and four in one bad inning against Baltimore.

Can you imagine this team, this rotation without him? I'd like to see Felix play his entire career here and go into the Hall of Fame as a lifetime Seattle Mariner.

I want to see him raise his children here, featuring future Father's Day celebrations like the one this year when his wife and kids hired a plane to fly a banner over Safeco Field that read: "King34: You are the best dad ever. We (heart) you."

Naturally Felix went on to pitch the Mariners to a 2-1 win over the Giants.

I want to keep watching the Felix fanatics in King's Court, wearing their yellow T-shirts while flashing their K cards and chanting K-K-K-K-K!!!!! every time an opposing batter has two strikes.

If you must, keep trotting out the Felix Hernandez bobblehead nights too.

I'm not telling you anything you don't already know — Felix is a franchise player. Even when you're the worst team in the American League, you don't trade your franchise player.